Chrysanthemum plant named ‘Beryl’

ABSTRACT

A  Chrysanthemum  plant named ‘Beryl’ characterized by its medium sized blooms with soft orange ray florets and prolific branching; natural season flower date August 25-30; blooming for a period of 5 weeks.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

‘Beryl’ is a product of a breeding and selection program for outdoor pot mums (garden mums) which had the objective of creating new Chrysanthemum cultivars with a decorative type flower, a natural season flower date around August 25-30; blooming for a period of 5 weeks. The new plant of the present invention comprises a new and distinct cultivar of Chrysanthemum plant ‘Beryl’ is a seedling resulting from the crossing of the female parent ‘99.4245’ with a mixed population of Chrysanthemum plants serving as male parents maintained under the control of the inventor for breeding purposes. The new and distinct cultivar was discovered and selected as one flowering plant by Mark Roland Boeder on a cultivated field in Rijsenhout Holland in August 2001. The plant has been asexually reproduced by cuttings in greenhouses at Rijsenhout Holland. The new cultivar has been found to retain its distinctive characteristics through successive propagations.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention of a new and distinct variety of Chrysanthemum is shown in the accompanying drawings, the color being as nearly true as possible with color photographs of this type.

FIG. 1 shows a plant of the cultivar in full bloom.

FIG. 2 shows the various stages of bloom and foliage of the new cultivar.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

This new variety of Chrysanthemum is of the botanical classification Chrysanthemum morifolium. The observations and measurements were gathered from plants grown out door in Rijsenhout, Holland under natural day length and temperature and planted in week 23 in 2002. The natural blooming date of this crop was August 25-30 (week 35). The average height of the plants was 25 cms. No growth retardants were used. No tests were done on disease or insect resistance or susceptibility. No tests were done on cold or drought tolerance. This new variety produces medium sized blooms with soft orange ray florets blooming for a period of 5 weeks.

From the cultivars known to inventor the most similar existing cultivar in comparison to ‘Beryl’ is ‘Castor’ (U.S. Plant patent application Ser. No. 10/317,046). When ‘Castor’ and ‘Beryl’ are being compared the following differences are noticed: The differences of ‘Castor’ and ‘Beryl’ are (1) Flower size. The flower size of ‘Castor’ is larger than that of ‘Beryl’ (2) Color of ray-florets. The ray-florets of ‘Castor’ are yellow, while those of ‘Beryl’ are soft orange (3) Color of center of flowers. The flower center of of ‘Castor’ is yellow, while that of ‘Beryl’ is orange.

The following is a description of the plant and characteristics that distinguish ‘Beryl’ as a new and distinct variety. The color designations are taken from the plant itself. Accordingly, any discrepancies between the color designations and the colors depicted in the photographs are due to photographic tolerances. The color chart used in this description is: The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart, edition 1995.

TABLE 1 Botanical Description of cultivar ‘Beryl’ Bud Size Small; cross-section 0.8 cm, height 0.6 cm Outside Color Yellow-green 154D Involucral bracts 2 rows, length 7 mm, width 3 mm Involucral bracts among Not present disc-florets Involucral bracts color Yellow-green 148C Bloom Type Decorative Size Medium Fully Expanded 4.5 cm Peduncle length 7 cm Peduncle color Green 139C Number of blooms per Approx. 10 blooms per branch branch Performance on the plant 5 weeks Seeds Produced in small quantities, ovate grey- brown 199A, 1½ mm in length. Fragrance Typical chrysanthemum, slightly Color Center of the flower Immature Greyed-orange 171C Mature Greyed-orange 164C Color of upper surface of Orange 26C the ray-florets Color of the lower surface Yellow-orange 22C of the ray-florets Tonality from Distance A garden mum with orange flowers Color of upperside of ray- Orange 26D florets after aging of the plant Ray florets Texture Upper and under side smooth Number 250 Cross-section Convex Longitudinal axis of Reflexing majority Length of corolla tube 0.8 cm Ray-floret margin Entire Ray-floret length 2.1 cm Ray-floret width 0.6 cm Ratio length/width Medium Shape of tip Rounded Disc florets Absent Receptacle shape Domed raised Reproductive Organs Stamen Absent Pollen Not produced Styles Thin Style color Yellow 13A Style Length 3 mm Stigma color Yellow-green 144A Stigma Width 1 mm Ovaries Enclosed in calyx Plant Form A garden mum outdoor mounded and round Growth habit Spreading Growth rate Slow Height 25 cm Width 28 cm Stem Color Greyed-green 194B with streaks of Greyed-red 182B Stem Strength Weak Stem Brittleness Brittle Stem Anthocyanin Present Coloration Internode length 2.5 cm Length of lateral branch From top to bottom 15 cm Lateral branch color Greyed-green 194A Lateral branch, attachment Moderately strong Branching (average number Good with 8 breaks after pinching of lateral branches) Natural season blooming August 25-30 date Foliage Leaf color Upper side Yellow-green 147B Under side Yellow-green 148B Color midvein Upper side Yellow-green 147D Under side Green 138D Size Small; length 4.5 cm, width 3 cm Quantity (number per 25 lateral branch) Shape Cordiform Texture upper side Glabrous Texture under side Pubescent Venation arrangement Palmate Shape of the margin Serrated Shape of Base of Sinus Rounded Between Lateral Lobes Margin of Sinus Between Diverging Lateral Lobes Shape of Base Obtuse Apex Mucronate Petiole length 1.2 cm Petiole color Yellow-green 147D

TABLE 2 Differences with the comparison variety ‘Beryl’ ‘Castor’ Flower size 4.5 cm 6.5 cm Color ray-florets Orange 26C Yellow 13B Color center mature flowers Greyed-orange 164C Yellow 13B 

I claim:
 1. A new and distinct variety of Chrysanthemum plant as described and illustrated. 